Attacks on Android expected to rise

Ransomware attacks on Android smartphones, preventing users from accessing their gadget unless they pay the attackers, are expected to rise.

According to the Internet Threats Trend Report, published by a US-base cyber-security company Cyren, a major wave of Android ransomware attacks has yet to come.

Two cases of first-ever Android ransomware appeared thus far this year, both delivered via drive-by download from a pornographic web page.

One version of the ransomware attack takes over the device and displays a message stating the user had been watching child pornography and that it now demands payment of a fine to use the device again.

The second version of Android ransomware is a bit more sophisticated, as it encrypts files on the device's secure digital (SD) card and blocks phone use by continually displaying a similar message and demanding a fee to decrypt the blocked files.

"It's clear that we will continue to see growing numbers of Android ransomware attacks, as we literally tracked their growing complexity from month to month during Q2 of this year," said Lior Kohavi, chief technology officer at CYREN.

"These attacks are growing at an alarming rate, allowing this form of extortion to impact more and more victims due to most people's consistently low level of concern for security while using their phones.”